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What is the purpose of blood types?
Now, I know why it's important to know about blood types, so you don't risk giving someone the wrong blood. What I'm curious about is why it exists. Is there an evolutionary advantage to having blood types?
Also, just a little bit of curiosity. What is it that causes such a strong reaction when someone is given the wrong blood type?
1 Answer
- 5 years ago
Lets say someone is having a blood transfusion if you give someone the wrong blood type, the Immune System recognises it as foreign (Not belonging to you) so a potentially fatal reaction could happen, due to the immune response. The severity can vary depending on the person and genetics.
The types of proteins, glycoproteins and glycolipids found on the surface of red blood cells makes up your blood type.
As for why we have them and their evolutionary advantage it could be a result of Variation, and inheritance, its like how we all have different eye colours, noses, hair colour. And as you know from Biology Variation is key to survival because say, you have a bunch of identical clones, if a virus comes all of those clones will be wiped out quickly, because theres no variation, The Virus doesn't have to mutate because the clones will be genetically identical so once they kill one clone they can quickly kill and wipe out the other clones.
Trust me its for our own good.